


a string of dried, lavender petals around your neck

by Sugar_and_Salt



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Demons, M/M, Mild Gore, Nothing explicit, Slavery, Violence, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 09:44:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14376177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugar_and_Salt/pseuds/Sugar_and_Salt
Summary: When a powerful lord takes over their tiny village, everything seems hopeless. Chanyeol refuses to admit defeat though, and he has his eyes set on the lord's most obvious weak spot - his pet Jongdae. Jongdae seems to be an enigma of his own though...





	a string of dried, lavender petals around your neck

**Author's Note:**

> writing this was a lot of fun and I hope I can share some of it <3  
> thanks a lot to the mods who were very kind and did a fantastic job with this fest!  
> also thanks to my beta who was endlessly patient with me ><

  
  
Chanyeol sighed, first thing in the morning. The sky was of a gloomy grey, and he didn’t have to get up and unshutter his windows to know that much. Time for another day. The house was dead silent, and at this point, the sound of his mother humming old tunes while preparing breakfast was becoming a fuzzy memory.  
  
It hadn’t always been like that. But just when the apple trees were about to bloom, during a dark, moonless night, the shadows had deepened as the Sovereign arrived.  
  
Chanyeol kept his gaze down as he hugged his mother, who was already braiding wicker baskets with her nimble fingers. He fleetingly kissed her hair before leaving the house.  
  
Their town was small, a mere village at the foot of a mountain with simple houses that were built wherever there had been enough even ground. Their ancestors had worked hard to make the place habitable, and whenever Chanyeol had been lounging around in the lush grass, enjoying the sounds of life, he felt grateful for that. Now, every sound seemed muted as he walked around the houses, past the well and up the stairs to the windmill, to ask how he could be of help.  
  
In his head, Chanyeol referred to the Sovereign as _Dark Lord_. At first, he had been afraid to even think badly of him, because the Lord had powers beyond human understanding. That one night, he entered the village, looking massive in the lavish riches he was clad in, gems and fabrics most villagers had never even laid eyes upon before.  
  
That night, he stepped over to the well, which was the town’s heart, ignoring anyone talking to him. One of the craftsmen attempted to touch him and was struck down by an invisible power.  
  
Just like that, he walked into their town and announced that he was claiming it. Actual resistance led to the death of a few, and was quickly silenced. The people were afraid, and unwilling to lose each other. Now they were owned by a tyrant; their very own dragon claiming the building on the highest point in the village, nestled into the foot of the mountain, where he accumulated riches. There was no refusing and no leaving. They worked no longer to sustain themselves, but to please the Sovereign. His mother used to make people happy and trade the wicker baskets for eggs and milk. Now she was just working like a tool, braiding them to buy more materials, to braid more and then sell them to the little group of traders from the kingdom that stopped by ever so often. Chanyeol was furious about the fact that the kingdom didn’t care about their situation. They were a sturdy folk, but the hunger was slowly getting to them, and seeing the dull look on everyone’s faces was even worse. One time, a brave man snuck inside the Lord’s residence to try and capture him, maybe even take his life - in turn, the Lord had executed his wife and dear old mother. The man was left alive though. It was needless to say that the efforts of those around him to keep all ropes away from his neck weren’t successful in the long run.  
  
It was a hopeless situation, and with no knights being sent from the kingdom, Chanyeol knew they were left on their own. Unlike the rest though, Chanyeol hadn’t given up. There was a way to overthrow the tyrant, and he had his eyes set on it.  


* * *

  
Chanyeol placed down the hoe to take a quick break. Sweat was coating his face, sticking his clothes to his body and even though summer was around the corner, the wind was rather cold with the absence of sunshine. He sat down to rest his legs and drink a bit of water. The field behind the village really wasn’t that big, and with the mountain embracing it, there was no room to expand, either. People were thinking of how to grow things more efficiently, making plans of hanging potted plants along the stone, but Chanyeol liked it the way it was. It was enough for them. He offered his friend some water, who gladly accepted. Of all things missing, they at least had the trusty well that seemed unwilling to be corrupted by the Lord’s dark magic. Though he probably just wanted to keep his slaves alive, Chanyeol thought bitterly.  
  
“Thanks. You think we should just trim-” his friend began, but cut himself off, distracted by something that made a scornful look flit over his expression for just a second, before he went back to talking about plant care. Chanyeol was already looking over his shoulder to spot the dark creature that was lounging in a nook of the mountain not too far above them. It was unclear how it got there, and it made the narrow ledge look as comfortable as a mattress filled with feathers. Unlike his friend, Chanyeol didn’t avert his gaze. This creature was the key to saving them. He knew it.  
  
Because the Lord didn’t come alone. He had arrived with a creature in tow, holding a thin, unnaturally shimmery chain connected to its collar. A pet. No one knew the name of this creature that had a vaguely human appearance but was clearly not one of them. Unlike its owner, who rarely ever left his home, the pet was often seen roaming the village. Needless to say, the villagers were suspicious and subtly hostile towards what was probably the Lord’s spy. It didn’t help that the pet wore either a blasé expression or didn’t bother looking at them at all. Chanyeol, however, felt like it was one of them, prisoned and enslaved just like them. And unlike them, the pet was able to get very close to the Lord.  
  
The pet was the key, and while he was risking everything, Chanyeol just couldn’t banish this dangerous thought from his mind. Still, he didn’t want to involve anyone but himself, and so he stayed back when his friend went home later, resting on a patch of grass and picking flowers to look like he was occupied by something. Slowly, the field emptied out until it was just him, but he stubbornly remained seated. He tried his hardest not to stare as he waited for the creature to make a move. Maybe it fell asleep up there. Chanyeol knew that to make up for this waste of time, he’d have to lose a few hours of sleep to keep up with his work, but he’d already made the decision.  
  
When the sun was already setting, coloring the sky in soft hues of pink and orange, the pet finally moved, climbing out of its spot to half-skid, half jump down the stony ledge. It looked unexpectedly graceful and light, even though the thump of its feet on the grass was audible. Chanyeol kept his gaze lowered until the pet was only a few steps away and he could see its feet approaching. Its garments didn’t look a fraction as fine as those of the Lord, and yet they were clearly foreign in their nature. Chanyeol looked up when the pet was close enough, and when the intense gaze met his own, he almost forgot what he’d had in mind. He knew about the pet’s oddly orange-colored eyes that possessed a glimmer defying the law of light, but very rarely had he met this gaze, and never from such a short distance. Maybe the sun-kissed skin was highlighting the eyes even more, Chanyeol fleetingly thought. Before the pet could simply move on, Chanyeol held up the flower crown he had been making during the long wait. An offering. The pet actually stopped in its track, but made no move towards him. It looked at the meticulously woven flowers, at the hues of lilac and dark violet, and back at Chanyeol. There was no telling whether the creature cared, or whether it even understood the gesture.  
  
Chanyeol fought the rising tension in his shoulders and tried to remain calm. Slowly, he placed the flower crown down, laying it into the grass by its feet. One of the furry, silky black ears atop the pet’s head twitched ever so slightly, but other than that, there was no reaction. After a few agonizing seconds of silence, the pet walked away, leaving Chanyeol behind. Accepting the outcome of this, Chanyeol left shortly after, leaving the flowers behind.  
  
The next day, the flowers were gone, and none of the children in the village seemed to have taken them.  


* * *

  
The pet started following him around after that. It was subtle at first - so subtle that Chanyeol’s friends noticed it before he did. It wasn’t like he was being preyed upon or scrutinized. Rather than that, the pet seemed to often be around wherever Chanyeol was. After his friends had pointed it out, Chanyeol began to pay more attention, and within a few days, he got used to the presence of the pet. Whatever he was up to, he only had to crane his head to spot the pet somewhere. Lying on a windowsill above him, lounging on a ledge or in the grass. While those around Chanyeol found it incredibly worrisome and maybe even disturbing, the young man himself kept seeking the pet’s gaze, kept trying to understand its intention. Why did it stick around but didn’t bother to approach him? Was it waiting for Chanyeol to make another move? Waiting for Chanyeol to commit treason so it could be carried on to the Lord, so he could be executed?  
  
It was an early evening like any other when Chanyeol couldn’t hold back anymore. The air was slightly damp and mussing up Chanyeol’s hair as he was pacing around the deserted field. He had been trying to think, maybe even to come up with a new song (a cautious type of personal rebellion for Chanyeol, who was hanging on to his freedom), but the presence of the pet made it impossible to focus. While it didn’t emit a single sound, Chanyeol just _felt_ the way he was being watched.

He stopped in his tracks and turned on his heels. It was very dark, with a few scattered oil lamps shedding just enough light for Chanyeol not to stumble. There, behind a fence and as far away from each individual light as possible, was an obvious shadow. The pet didn’t even try to hide, and its orange orbs were eerily bright, albeit not like a cat’s. It was the subtle glow that unsettled Chanyeol more, that made the creature strange and different. And maybe even enticing.  
  
“Why are you following me around?”  
  
“Why aren’t you scared of that?”  
  
Chanyeol blinked, processing the unusual voice he could now place to the mysterious being. He would have pictured a rough, kind of mean voice that wasn’t pleasant to the ear, maybe underlining the non-human aspect. Not like its voice was the perfect opposite - it wasn’t a low-timbred smoulder either, no warm honey dripping down his skin. It was light, a little airy, confident but not aggressive. It sounded almost a bit _too_ human.  
  
“Should I be afraid?” Chanyeol asked carefully, itching to walk towards the pet, but restraining himself. As if the other was a frightened animal, he let the pet decide the pace. Chanyeol looked around as if there was any need to check whether they were really alone. The pet didn’t do that and just stepped forwards. Slowly. Deliberately.  
  
“Oh no,” the pet said, and Chanyeol could _hear_ the smile behind it, “who would I be, to scare my dinner away?”  
Feeling a little insecure, Chanyeol remained rooted to the spot, until only one large step separated them. Then the other stopped and eyed him almost expectantly.  
  
“You could have eaten me all along,” Chanyeol calmly stated. He imagined seeing a spark dance in the lightly shimmering orbs.  
“Maybe I like my food tense and roughed up by fear.”  
  
“And you didn’t eat me to this day because I wasn’t scared enough? That would mean that you’d continue to not eat me as long as I continue to not be scared,” Chanyeol stated loosely, carefully examining the other’s eyes. They were narrowing a bit now. Whether it was due to anger or mirth, he didn’t know.  
  
“You think you’re smart, don’t you?” the pet asked with a tilted head, but Chanyeol didn’t take the bait.  
  
“Not at all,” he denied with an easy shrug. “If I was smart, I’d be living in the kingdom by now, studying numbers and calculating the movements of stars.”  
  
“And would you’ve come back for your loved ones if the sky clouded over?” the pet asked, not missing a beat but not willing to judge or even name his master.  
Would Chanyeol have returned if he received the news about the ruthless Lord dominating his village? He actually considered it. He’d probably alert the kingdom, fight and fight until their suffering was acknowledged and help was sent.  
  
“I think it would make more sense to try and help from the outside than from the inside,” he therefore said. “Going by myself should only be the last resort.”  
The pet smiled. It wasn’t a soft, benevolent smile, but what it was exactly, Chanyeol didn’t know.  
  
“Because walking back here would be like dancing into a trap,” it said lightly, and then, after a short break, “so you’re not stupid to the bone either.”  
  
“Can I help you in any way?” Chanyeol offered before he knew it. The words had just tumbled out. Half of this was to blame on his natural instinct to keep conversations going, to keep the words flowing. The other half was torn between being concerned for the captured pet and wary of the way it behaved. With a small huff, the pet crossed its arms.  
  
“That’s exactly the right question, considering _you_ want something from _me_. It’s only fair to offer yourself up in turn.”  
The way he said it was ominous at best, but Chanyeol was too distracted by the first part.  
  
“I want something from you?” he asked loosely, almost dreading the response, and the pet didn’t even hesitate.  
  
“You want me to turn on my master to free your people. It’s obvious.”  
Chanyeol’s eyes widened in panic, a thousand thoughts of short-term action flickering through his mind, ranging from fight to flight. The pet watched him for two full seconds, apparently enjoying the sudden punch of emotions forcing Chanyeol to take a step back.  
  
“I’m not gonna tell him,” he then said. It wasn’t enough to actually calm down Chanyeol, who had only now gotten a taste of how scalding hot the flame he was so carelessly playing with was. One accusation by the pet would be enough to cost his mother’s life. What was he doing?  
He swallowed down the wave of panic that could only worsen the situation.  
  
“But if you want me to do that, you have to do something for me,” the pet continued, and Chanyeol swallowed, shooting him a questioning look, unsure whether the other could even see it in the semi-darkness.  
  
“Take off my collar.”  
The request was calmly presented, and yet contained a smokey kind of lure that immediately made Chanyeol suspicious.  
  
“You can’t do that on your own?” he asked cautiously.  
  
“Of course not,” the pet said, tilting his head from one side to the other. “What kind of a pet would that make me?”  
  
“But I could take it off?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Even though I’m not your master?”  
The pet hummed. Chanyeol didn’t move a single muscle towards it.  
  
“And then what?”  
  
“I’d be free,” the pet replied. “Free to rip off the Lord’s head for you.”  
  
“And then you’d eat it.”  
It wasn’t a question, but a statement. The pet didn’t even try to deny it.  
  
“Would that bother you?”  
  
“Probably, if I was still alive by then,” Chanyeol said, taking a step back and straightening up.  
  
“You believed me when I said that I eat humans for dinner?” the pet asked, sounding amused.  
  
“Yes,” Chanyeol said defiantly. The pet took a step forward, leaned towards him to look up at Chanyeol with these haunting, faintly glowing orbs.  
  
“Good. Because it’s true.”  
Chanyeol stood rooted to the spot. He was pretty certain that the pet couldn’t kill him right now. It had never done anything like it before, and chances were high that they had to thank the collar for that. As if it had read his mind, the pet’s fingers started playing with the leather wrapped around its neck.  
  
“If you take it off though, I’ll promise not to eat you,” it said lowly, and Chanyeol could swear he heard a faint purr underline the words.  
  
“I’ll only kill the Lord, and then I’ll leave. You won’t ever hear of me again.”  
Chanyeol hesitated.  
  
“Take it off,” the pet breathed out, and Chanyeol finally snapped out of it and took another step back, his movements choppy and betraying the hint of doubt.  
  
“No,” he said, sounding more determined than he felt. Just saying it out loud helped his mind settle. It felt wrong in every way - the way the voice was suddenly so soft and inviting, the way the pet added favors to convince him, the way it pushed for a decision-  
  
“I won’t,” he stated, a little louder this time, and then he walked around the pet and left the field, without looking back.  
  


* * *

  
The following days, Chanyeol was more thoughtful than usual. The pet was obviously more than an innocent, enslaved being, and engaging with it might be as dangerous as fighting the Lord head on. It still had a higher success rate, but something about this made Chanyeol’s senses tingle in warning. This felt oddly personal, and the longer Chanyeol thought about it, the more sense it made - if the pet told the truth and it was a demon who devoured humans, surely it had a few tricks to lure them in. Like a similar appearance, like a friendly voice or intriguing, pretty eyes. The pet was also of a cunning nature. Chanyeol was quite intimidated by the idea of trying to get the pet on his side. He could feel the traitorous interest writhing in his stomach whenever he caught a glimpse of it anywhere in town. He could remember the orange orbs way too clearly.  
  
And yet, despite all that, he couldn’t bring himself to step away and pretend nothing ever happened.  
  
It was a bit of a challenge to approach the pet when others would be able to see it. Chanyeol had never been a cowardly child that worried for his reputation, but if word spread that he was engaging with the pet, he wasn’t sure what would happen. One day though, he saw it lying atop a small, grassy hill, bathing in the late sunlight. Chanyeol was on his way home after doing a favour to a neighbour, and it was their polite reward that he was currently cradling in his hands and that made him stop in his tracks as he was hit by a thought. Unsurely, he shifted from one foot to the other, aware that he was in the line of sight for some people. Whether he won or lost his inner battle wasn’t certain, but Chanyeol finally stalked up the grassy hill until his shadow smoothened itself over the pet’s slim figure. It didn’t reach his eyes though, and Chanyeol knew that he had been watching out for that on purpose. A selfish attempt at taking the chance to see them catch the golden light. There was no surprise in them, no silent question. The pet was patiently waiting for him to do whatever he had come here for, and Chanyeol quickly took off the lid of the wicker basket he had been carrying. The bread inside was still warm, and baked in small, roundish shapes so they could easily be shared among the people. Chanyeol took one he deemed especially nice and crouched down to put it into the grass, bedded on a tissue. Eyes followed the bread, flickered back up at him, and the pet lazily threw its head back into the grass.  
  
“I told you what I eat,” it said lightly, a tinge of both amusement and exasperation. “So unless you’re going to offer up one of those nice ears you got, you better scram.”  
One hand flew up to cover his ear self consciously, Chanyeol couldn’t help it.  
  
“Don’t make fun of me...”  
  
“Aren’t you the walking and talking dessert that’s teasing me?” the pet asked, rolling to its stomach, with the head resting on its arms. Chanyeol fully sank to his knees, to alleviate the pressure on his ankles.  
  
“I have a name, you know? It’s Chanyeol.”  
  
“Amazing,” the pet drawled out, but there was a hint of a grin tugging at the kittenish lips. Chanyeol furrowed his brows.  
  
“And you? You got a name, too?” he asked impatiently.  
  
“Of course I have a name.”  
All of a sudden, the pet sat up, causing Chanyeol to almost fall over at the sudden proximity.  
  
“The question is… could you pronounce it with that sluggish tongue of yours?”  
Chanyeol actually liked the rudeness of the pet. It was an odd thought but without that edge, he might have completely lost his ability to talk already. The lashes of the pet were really, really pronounced and pretty.  
  
“You really think you’re so much better than us, don’t you? At least try me before insulting me.”  
His fragile courage vanished, feeling like he’d missed a stair, when the pet mock-bit the air close to his face. It was embarrassing.  
  
“I never had a meal tease me like this. You’re quite lucky I’m wearing this collar, because you smell stupidly good,” it said, and for the first time ever, Chanyeol felt like the composure of the pet was cracking, too. He imagined seeing a faint frustration in its eyes, as well as desire. Possibly desire to actually bite into his skin to tear a chunk out of it and that was… scary. But it was also the first, real glimpse at the pet he had gotten so far.  
  
“If you want me to take of that collar, you’re not going at it in a smart way,” Chanyeol quietly said, observing how the pet reverted back to its calm, superior behaviour. It drew back a few inches in the process, which Chanyeol noted as well.  
  
“If you want me to spare you, you’re doing a horrible job, too,” it countered.  
  
“As if you were actually planning on doing that,” Chanyeol muttered and got to his feet when he remembered something.  
  
“Now what is your name? Unless you want me to call you _pet_.”  
The pet’s eyes flit around as it was mouthing the word ‘pet’ to itself with an unreadable expression. Then one of his furry ears twitched, and it looked up at Chanyeol, pronouncing the next word with exaggerated caution.

“Jong-dae,” he slowly said. “That’s my human name.”  
  
“You have a non-human name, too?” Chanyeol asked, confused, but the pet only lightly shrugged - so Jongdae it was.  
  
  
It was dangerous and wrong, and none of the villagers failed to remind Chanyeol of that on a daily basis, but he couldn’t stay away from the pet. From Jongdae.  
  
It was because Jongdae was mysterious and different, because he was a non-human creature that he would never be able to get this close to under normal circumstances. The more time they spent around each other, the more talkative Jongdae got, and Chanyeol wasn’t that much of a pure, naive kid as to not feel the opportunity gnawing away at him. He had approached Jongdae for a reason, and while the idea of using him to overthrow the Lord had quickly turned out to be too big of a gamble to risk, it felt more and more like a valid option with every passing day. They all lived, days passed by, the sun rose and sank, but it didn’t change the fact that they were suffering - not only the villagers, but also Jongdae, who was living in nothing short of slavery. They didn’t talk much about what Jongdae’s life looked like, but binding a demon to a human, keeping it as a pet for them to see was probably humiliating beyond Chanyeol’s imagination. There were other signs that had him worried though. Jongdae was a moody creature for sure, and while pleasant to be around on some days, he got really mean on others. It seemed like something was wearing the demon down, something that accumulated over time and made his eyes glassy and demeanour irritable. Jongdae also got pushier during those times, kept asking and sometimes even demanding Chanyeol take off the collar - it was a sour reminder that Jongdae, too, was thinking of using him to get something, and Chanyeol knew better than to obey. He wondered what the Lord was doing to him. Surely, he wasn’t a man who would treat his pets well, and Chanyeol was almost too afraid to find out, picturing a lot of scenarios in his head, one more gruesome than the next. Rumors turned to facts when Chanyeol overheard someone talking about the terrible, terrible noises coming from the Lord’s mansion again. Not heeding anyone’s warnings, Chanyeol walked up to the mansion to hear for himself, and before he got even close to it, the sounds reached him. Never in his life had he heard anything like it, but he knew immediately that it was Jongdae. A high-pitched wail, sounding more like a tortured animal than human, piercing his head like a knife. It was so unpleasant and consuming that he barely heard the sounds in between, and he felt rooted to the spot. The urge to run inside and do something was strong but just as pointless and stupid. _Jongdae was fine_ , he told himself, slowly backing away, eyes burning holes into the building. _Jongdae had lived like this for years, and he wouldn’t die now. He wouldn’t break, either._  
  
It was those thoughts that Chanyeol kept repeating over and over in his head, hoping to finally believe them as he sat on the grassy slope behind the windmill, arms slung around his legs, being alone and yet not feeling isolated enough.  
_  
This wasn’t going to be forever. It wasn’t-_  
  
A sound made Chanyeol flinch, and for a second, he considered ignoring whoever was bothering him, but a cautious look told him that it was Jongdae. The pet stood nearby, bare feet in the grass, eyes trained on the ground. They looked more dull than usual, his hair and clothes messed up, ears flattened instead of standing tall. Without a word, the pet lay down in the grass next to Chanyeol. He would have loved to say something, but there really was nothing to say. Chanyeol watched the pet curl up tightly, listened to the controlled, deep breathing and the shaky edge to it. He stared at the red rashes covering the back of his neck, peeking out of the haphazardly overthrown fabric.  
  
Slowly, Chanyeol sat up a little straighter, fingers tentatively reaching out, but freezing just shy of touching the matted hair. Suddenly, he felt like Jongdae was really far away and like it was not his right to do this. As if somehow touching the hurt creature would only put salt in a wound that was still glistening. Fingers curled into a fist, and then Chanyeol placed his palm in the grass instead, somewhere behind Jongdae’s head. He quietly soaked up the misery, looking at nothing in particular, until he felt hair tickling his arm. How or when it happened, Chanyeol hadn’t noticed, but Jongdae had moved until his head was touching Chanyeol’s side, just grazing it lightly. It knotted something up inside Chanyeol’s stomach, but also tugged a few other knots loose. He made no obvious movement but allowed his body to lean into the other, if only a little. Jongdae wasn’t doing anything other than lying there quietly, but he didn’t have to. Never before had he touched Chanyeol in any way.  
  
Eventually, Chanyeol’s arm was noticeably steadying Jongdae’s back, while the other’s forehead was pressed into his side, his face buried and hidden behind his hands. Chanyeol let him be. When his arm started to grow numb to the point where it got painful, Chanyeol eventually lay down, too, his head resting just behind Jongdae’s, who didn’t protest or move away. The pose might be odd, and Chanyeol wasn’t putting an arm around him or anything, but they both dozed off with his breath fanning over the back of Jongdae’s neck.  
  
  
Chanyeol did see Jongdae around the village the day after, but the pet acted like nothing had happened, which was a bit off-putting, but he’d respect the decision. How Jongdae had ever managed to act as casual and cool as he had, when this was a common occurrence, Chanyeol didn’t know. Either way, he was still haunted by what had happened and unsure of whether or not it changed anything. That night, he snuck out to take a bath in one of the mountain’s tiny hot springs. Finding solitude was becoming hard these days and the fact that they were all forced to stay inside the village was surely part of what was wearing them all down. The hot spring used to be quite popular at night but that had stopped when people treasured sleep and rest over social gatherings. For once, Chanyeol was glad about that, since it granted him a bit of alone time. Although he couldn’t lie to himself, he thought as he undressed and slipped into the hot water; usually, Jongdae came to find him when he was alone, and Chanyeol wasn’t sure whether he was waiting for that or not. Jongdae returned to the mansion around sundown every day and spent the night there.  
  
As if his thoughts had been read, Jongdae announced himself with fabric scraping the stone as he came closer. Chanyeol suspected that he did this on purpose, and that he could just as well choose to be perfectly silent. The water rippled when he turned his head to look up at the other, who sat down, tugging at the flowy fabric until he was comfortable.  
  
“I didn’t know you were allowed out at night,” Chanyeol said instead of a greeting. Apparently, Jongdae’s kind didn’t do them - or maybe he just liked sneaking up on Chanyeol. Jongdae shrugged.  
  
“Not like there is any way to punish me. If he wants to step up his game, he’s gotta kill me. And that would be too nice now, wouldn’t it?”  
The bitter ease was another thing that Jongdae hadn’t allowed to shimmer through until recently. Chanyeol lowered his gaze to the surface of the water, watching the vague reflection of them. Jongdae was staring at the various oil lamps Chanyeol had lit up, and then let his finger slide over the smooth stone.  
  
“It looks like the sky,” he stated calmly, and Chanyeol hummed.  
  
“It’s Apatite, a kind of gem that’s woven into the mountain,” he explained. “It’s not very valuable but it looks nice, doesn’t it?”  
Jongdae nodded. It was rare to see him express a liking for something that wasn’t terrifying to Chanyeol, so he encouragingly patted the polished stone.  
  
“Come on in?”  
Jongdae tilted his head from side to side, and Chanyeol grinned.  
  
“Or are you afraid of water, too?”  
  
“Stop treating me like a cat,” Jongdae protested, and the angry flick of his ear only made Chanyeol grin wider. The grin vanished when Jongdae swung his legs into the water and slid inside, just like that.  
  
“Your clothes,” he began, a little shocked and out of words, much to Jongdae’s amusement.  
  
“Yes? What’s with them?”  
  
“You’re getting all wet-”  
  
“I thought that was the point of a bath.”  
  
“But,” Chanyeol began, and Jongdae shut him up with a look.  
  
“You think I’ll catch a cold like a weak little human?” he asked almost haughtily, and Chanyeol pouted, to play along.  
  
“Of course not, what are sicknesses to a big, bad demon like you?” he asked with an eye roll, leaning his back against the stone. “Who looks almost entirely human, by the way.”  
  
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, too,” Jongdae sassed back, but Chanyeol was too busy watching the other relax into the hot water to reply.  
  
“Do you have a tail, too?” he suddenly burst out, proving that his brain really wasn’t paying attention to the overall situation. Jongdae looked unimpressed.  
  
“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not a cat?”  
  
“Well, but,” Chanyeol began gesturing aimlessly, “besides the ears, you really do look human, so of course I’d wonder-”  
  
“Teeth,” Jongdae cut him off, curtly showing an upper row of unusually sharp teeth, “claws are kinda gone,” he continued, wriggling his fingers unhappily, but now that he mentioned it, his fingers and nails did look unusually sharp, too. “And there’s fur in some spots,” Jongdae begrudgingly muttered, playing with the water’s surface, “and no, not in the ones you have hair in.”  
Chanyeol had enough shame left to be a little flustered and not prod further.  
  
“It’s humiliating,” Jongdae quietly added, placing his hand on the back of his own neck, as if trying to cover the collar. Oh. So that was the reason the other preferred to stay clothed, Chanyeol thought.  
  
“It’s not so bad,” Chanyeol began, sliding closer to him, dipping his head to try and seek his eyes. “People don’t really have a mind to look down on you right now, even if they wanted to. Everyone still thinks you’re frightening.”  
Jongdae looked up and smiled deprecatingly.  
  
“That’s because humans are stupid. I’m about as powerful and scary as a battered dog on a leash.”  
For a second, Jongdae looked oddly conflicted, his gaze intensifying, boring into Chanyeol’s. Like frustration was battling exhaustion and something like temptation-  
Jongdae blinked, breaking an unspoken spell, and if Chanyeol had paid attention, he would see his ears relaxing a bit.  
  
“You reek,” he stated, and with a mix of exasperation and offense, Chanyeol slid away from him. Without much of a fuss, Jongdae reached into his clothes to draw out a glass bottle, smaller than Chanyeol’s shortest finger and filled with a tantalizing, green liquid. The tiny cork was removed and Chanyeol twitched in surprise when Jongdae leaned towards him to graciously empty the content over his bare chest and shoulders. Immediately, a strong scent of mint filled the air. Chanyeol wrinkled his nose, but didn’t stop the oil from sliding down his upper body. “ _Now_ I smell like food,” he complained, but Jongdae wasn’t phased.  
  
“ _Now_ you smell like herbs,” he corrected him. The strong scent violently burned through Chanyeol’s lungs and throat and he wondered whether it was just as intense for Jongdae. If it was, the other seemed fine with it. There had been a lot of silence between them, but this one was by far the most comfortable one. Jongdae was leaning sideways so he could rest his head on his arms. Occasionally, Chanyeol would scoop up hot water to drip it over the other’s exposed forearms and hands, because sitting completely still wasn’t something he could do for long.  
He’d feel bad for ruining the atmosphere, but it also felt like the best moment to ask.  
  
“Does he, uhm…” he began, trailing off, re-considering and finally pushing through with it, “does he use your body?”  
Jongdae’s eyes remained closed, he furrowed his brows for a moment, before understanding smoothened them out again.  
  
“Oh, you mean like _that_ ,” he hummed, suppressing a yawn. “No, not like that. He didn’t make me suck his cock or anything. I guess he doesn’t trust this collar that much, after all.”  
Chanyeol should probably be concerned about the satisfied smile tugging at Jongdae’s lips at the thought of his owner being afraid his dick might get bitten off, but it really wasn’t his place to judge.  
  
“He also knows that any of this wouldn’t really hurt me,” Jongdae added equanimously. “That’s not how we tick. A human like him neither has the skills nor knowledge to hurt us in an intimate way.”  
The explanation was mystifying and quite frankly, made Chanyeol curious.  
  
“You don’t, uhm. Reproduce like us? Not even when you’re in human form?” he asked awkwardly, and Jongdae looked at him in mild amusement.  
  
“Reproduction and intimacy aren’t nearly as mashed together for us as it is for you,” Jongdae evenly replied, and when Chanyeol just looked at him in silent question, he half-heartedly lifted his hand.  
  
“We value our claws for example. They’re not needed for reproduction, but rather for hunting and crafts. Just usual tools for you, but demons like me are very sensitive about them. Losing reproduction organs would make you infertile, losing your claws would destroy your life. When in human form, they’re laughably fragile, too.”  
  
Chanyeol thought about that. It sounded nothing short of logical, and he wondered whether humans were just silly not to value all essential parts of their bodies more. Then again, humans also made sense the way they were now. Maybe there were just different ways to life and they each made sense for the individual race.  
  
“Our stimuli are just overall different, too,” Jongdae shrugged, and Chanyeol only belatedly realized that even giving this spare information was quite the sign of trust - after all, it meant laying out his actual vulnerability to a human.  
  
“So he’s not hurting you that bad?” Chanyeol asked, and Jongdae hummed thoughtfully. The hot bath seemed to make him more lax, but it might just as well be the sharp scent of mint.  
  
“Physical pain is mean, sure, but nothing unbearable. It’s alright. The hunger is killing me though.”  
  
“Do you not get to eat at all?” Chanyeol asked in horror, embracing his legs again, feeling the hot skin.  
  
“Not really,” Jongdae replied. “It’s because of the collar. I’d vomit out anything I eat without permission. Also you need to consider that the fun in having a pet is breaking it. Humiliation works well, but it works constantly. I’m _always_ a shameful mutation stuck in between.”  
Chanyeol itched to interrupt him, but he wanted to know where this was going.  
  
“But hunger builds up. It builds and builds until you think you're gonna die and your head and body are going haywire. Then you get food, but not too much. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat,” Jongdae muttered, and Chanyeol replied the first thing coming to mind.  
  
“That means you’re really something though. Because you always manage to recover.”  
  
“Do I?” Jongdae asked, a tired tinge of spite in his voice. Chanyeol nodded.  
  
“If you never break beyond repair, that means you’re constantly recovering. I don’t know about tough demons like you but humans or animals can be broken down to a point where the Lord would get bored of them. There’s gotta be something in you that just won’t give in.”  
Jongdae didn’t get flustered, but his voice softened a bit as he looked up at Chanyeol.  
  
“That’s because I’m not just a silly human like you.”  
Chanyeol took the bait and smiled.  
  
“Of course not. You’re a big, bad demon- wait, so does the Lord feed you actual people?”  
The self-satisfied grin immediately returned to the other’s face.  
  
“That’s what’s really worrying you, huh? But no, you can stop panicking. I only get some leftovers.”  
  
“So you _can_ eat things other than humans,” Chanyeol said accusingly, and Jongdae shrugged again, one ear flicking in defiance.  
  
“It’s like living on soup alone. Unsatisfying and kinda unhealthy.”  
Chanyeol flicked water at his ear, only to watch it twitch again and get that unimpressed look in turn.  
  
“When I’m free, I’ll never wear a necklace or scarf ever again,” Jongdae suddenly said, and Chanyeol blinked, needing a second to follow the other’s eyes and thoughts. He was looking at the slim, silver necklace sitting loosely on Chanyeol’s chest.  
  
“Oh, this is a lucky charm,” he explained, touching the familiar, stainless steel.  
  
“Is it magical?” Jongdae asked in vague interest.  
Chanyeol laughed silently.  
  
“Really? Not at all. It’s just a necklace,” he admitted. “But I’ve had it since I was a child. It reminds me of the past me, my aspirations and dreams, and of those who loved me back then. It’s nice to remember, when it comes down to making decisions sometimes.”  
  
“I don’t see what that has to do with luck,” Jongdae said blankly, and then he sat up and stretched out his limbs, making the stone bath look like a sea of comfortable cushions. Chanyeol flicked more water at him in childish defiance, until the pet scooped up hot water to dump over his head.  


* * *

  
The Lord was growing angry, and it reflected on the village. No one knew exactly what was going on, but Jongdae muttered something about pressure from outside. Without him, Chanyeol wouldn’t have guessed that his faint headache stemmed from the magic that was stronger than usual - and many seemed to share that feeling. The spells cast around their village grew more rigid, the magic thick and palpable to those who were sensitive to it. While those around Chanyeol complained about the faint dizziness, Jongdae seemed positively miserable. On more than one occasion had Chanyeol seen him scratch at the collar, tugging and ripping, but the collar wouldn’t budge. He also grew more irritable and unfocused, which was very unfortunate since Chanyeol had to find a way to overthrow the Lord more than ever. He had gained a lot of information from Jongdae - that the Lord wasn’t some otherworldly being who could hear anything they said or read their thoughts. He was just an adept wizard, and spells were always very precise in their effects. Jongdae trusted him by now, but Chanyeol couldn’t trust him the way he was now. If he took off his collar now, it was likely that the demon would wreck havoc.  
  
“God, stop talking about irrelevant things and just take it off!” Jongdae hissed, cutting off Chanyeol’s musings about an opening to strike. They were lying in their special spot behind the windmill, nobody around to hear their rebellious conversations. Or the way the pet was almost growling at Chanyeol.  
  
“Take that shitty thing off and I’ll rip him apart,” he said, almost to himself, gripping and tugging at the collar again, fingers sliding beneath the leather.  
  
“You don’t sound like yourself,” Chanyeol replied, shifting in the grass uneasily. Suddenly the pet was all over him, wrestling him down with a level of brute strength Chanyeol hadn’t expected at all. With an undignified squawk, he went down, holding up both palms to signify his defeat. Jongdae was light, way too light, but the palms holding down his shoulders were relentless and strong. His orbs were glowing in an unsettling way - it wasn’t a steady shimmer and more of a flicker, as if the demon was teetering on an edge.  
  
“Because I’m not myself,” Jongdae said, quiet but menacing. “Because I’m being squeezed together and molded and kneaded, and I cannot fucking _breathe,_ and I’m so hungry that I wanna puke out my stomach, and yet you’re not taking off this godforsaken collar.”  
  
Chanyeol stared at him with wide eyes. It had been a long time since he’d been genuinely afraid of Jongdae, and while he was itching to give him what he wanted and set him free, he also knew that it would mean the end of him. If the fingers digging into his shoulder turned to claws now, it would be over. They’d tear through his skin and there would be blood everywhere-  
  
A frustrated sound vibrated through Jongdae’s throat and he squeezed his eyes shut, expression distorted by pain and frustration. His fingers were digging into Chanyeol’s shoulder hard enough to bruise, but Chanyeol didn’t dare move under the hazy, yet intense stare of the pet. He looked angry, tortured, and like he was trying to choose whether to slit Chanyeol up, regardless of whether he could eat him or not. Suddenly, whatever bond Chanyeol thought they’d had seemed non-existent, like a makeshift wall crumbling down and leaving gaping emptiness. The feeling was like a spiral, and before hopelessness could taint all of him, he was distracted by fingers at his lips. He blinked away the blur to look up at Jongdae. The demon looked conflicted still, but the feelings were stuffed behind a blank mask. He was waiting. Unlike the nails digging into his shoulder, the fingers on his lips were lingering lightly. Chanyeol blinked, his thoughts a confused mess. He chose to do what felt right, and pecked the index and middle finger, pressing back just a little.  
  
Immediately, Jongdae tensed up and also increased the pressure, as if he was testing Chanyeol, who suddenly felt very human and clueless at what this was about. Jongdae had told him about claws being important, but his mind was currently wiped blank. His thoughts went no further than ‘they are important to creatures like him, so they should be treated with care’ - so he gave in to the pressure, parted his lips and nipped at the other’s fingers, all lips and no teeth. It felt oddly intimate despite Chanyeol having no grasp of what this situation meant to Jongdae, whose gaze got cloudy as he watched him. He pushed further, slipped his fingers into Chanyeol’s mouth up to the first knuckle, and his composed expression cracked when Chanyeol started lapping at them without hesitation. The other’s skin tasted just a little salty, and in unsure but broad strokes did Chanyeol map out the other’s fingers, exploring the texture of his skin. Fear was still curling in his stomach, but whatever he was doing seemed right, so Chanyeol just kept going, hoping the other wouldn’t choke him.  
  
In his muddled state, the most pronounced thought he could form was that he had no idea who was being submissive right now. He wouldn’t normally question it, but he should feel small and threatened, lying under a demon who was scraping his claws along Chanyeol’s tongue. They weren’t sharp enough to cut, but he couldn’t shake the horrifying imagery of Jongdae changing appearances and claws suddenly expanding and tearing through the roof of his mouth. Everything pointed towards Chanyeol being his prey, begging for mercy, if it weren’t for the things Jongdae had said about their claws. Having them be hurt or worse, cut off, was the most terrifying thing to someone of his nature, and he had to really trust Chanyeol to rub his fingers along his teeth. After all, Chanyeol could bite down - he wasn’t sure whether he was physically capable of actually biting his fingers off, but if he wasn’t sure of it, then neither was Jongdae. Chanyeol softly sucked at his fingers, finally daring to look up and search Jongdae’s eyes. He still couldn’t read them though, and it kept the flicker of insecurity alive. There was something deep in his gaze and he looked at him as if Chanyeol was an exceptionally complicated formula he was trying to grasp. Maybe he was entirely wrong about this, though, and just as Chanyeol had managed to dim down his fear, Jongdae smiled. It wasn’t a kind smile, neither a pure or happy one. It looked almost self-satisfied, and the tips of his fingers briefly pressed against Chanyeol’s tongue before withdrawing. Instinctively, Chanyeol licked his lips, feeling oddly bare all of a sudden, the balance of power suddenly tipped over. Jongdae’s expression relaxed, and the hint of playfulness returned as he pursed his lips and smeared his wet fingers across Chanyeol’s cheek, who only had time to wrinkle his nose before the demon had gotten off and walked away from him without a further word.  
  


* * *

  
Chanyeol had a bad feeling when he awoke a few days later, even though nothing seemed amiss at first. He hadn’t seen a scrap of Jongdae ever since the incident, but oh, he had dreamt of him. The contents of those dreams were both vile and blurry, and vanished completely when he heard someone yell outside. There was a commotion and Chanyeol managed to jump out of bed and into his clothes when his mother appeared in the doorframe, looking tired and worried.  
  
“There’s a gathering around the well,” she stated in a way that left no room for argument. “The Lord wants to announce something.”  
  
The second statement was tinged with worry, and Chanyeol felt it take him over like a forest fire, turning gleaming worry into hot fear searing in his stomach. He nodded and waited for his mother to turn around before he grabbed the dagger from where he had hidden it behind a row of books. Its blue blade was made to look pretty and not to actually harm anyone, but Jongdae had once insinuated that it would be a good choice of weapon against the Lord, who probably charmed his body to be immune to all sorts of metals and wood, but not this specific stone. He tucked it into his waistband, just in case, before following after his mother.  
  
Outside, most of their people were already gathered around the well, keeping a respectable distance to the looming figure next to it. Chanyeol’s eyes narrowed, but he forced himself to stay calm. It had been a long time since the Lord stooped to actually walk among them, but his appearance was as rich and despicable as ever. He looked mildly impatient, and his position next to the well was elevated enough for him to look down on them like a king would to his servants. Chanyeol made sure to block his mother from sight, who complained and attempted to look around him. Only then did Chanyeol spot Jongdae, who stood in the Lord’s shadow, eyes lowered, but ears tense and twitching from time to time. For the special occasion, the chain had been brought out and for no reason at all, the Lord held it just short enough to tug at his neck. Chanyeol had only seen Jongdae in the presence of his master once, but he knew this conflict between resignation and tension - he was hungry. Probably very hungry. This was the way he looked on the days he snapped or growled at him, and Chanyeol had already seen it coming days earlier, when he had carelessly pushed Jongdae until the demon had pinned him down. If he still looked like this, he must not have eaten in many days. Chanyeol bit down the hot rage, hoping for this to be over soon and without any blood spilt, so Jongdae could rest.  
  
“ _Silence_ ,” the Lord suddenly said, his voice echoing unnaturally, carrying further than it should, and the people stopped talking immediately, abruptly cutting off the noise.  
  
“I gathered you here because it came to my attention that _some_ of you don’t appreciate me being here,” he began, a threat simmering in his low voice. Chanyeol swallowed, fearing for the worst.  
  
“And that attacks on me were plotted. This is both inexcusable, ungrateful and insolent in every way. And the sheer amount of stupidity needed to voice these shameful thoughts out to my very loyal servant,” he continued, tugging at Jongdae’s leash, who lifelessly followed the motion, blank eyes set on the ground, “ought to be punished.”  
Chanyeol’s heart rate was picking up, and before he could move a muscle, the Lord stared directly at him.  
  
“You. The tall one with the curly head. Come forward.”  
It was an order, and while Chanyeol was frozen for one second, his body jumped to action the next, feeling the urge to step away from the rest. To take the spotlight to himself, because this was no other’s fault than his own.  
The Lord smiled, and it was both cold and aggressive.  
  
“You dared thinking of murdering me? You went as far as to try and seduce my pet to turn it against me?”  
Chanyeol’s eyes flickered to Jongdae before he could help it. _Traitor_ , his thoughts screamed, and then the pressured, rational part of him threw in that maybe, Jongdae didn’t have a choice. He’d been forced, surely he had been forced, by magic or torture. But then he saw the pet smile to himself, eyes still trained on the ground, and Chanyeol felt very sick to the stomach.  
  
“I’ll be generous this time and punish only you,” the Lord sneered, crossing his arms, not minding the leash that got even shorter in the process, causing Jongdae to stumble. “Let this be a reminder for everyone. Come forward.”  
The Lord was going to kill him, Chanyeol thought. In front of everyone. Shakily, he stepped away from the crowd, and vaguely heard someone silence his mother’s pleas. The Lord held up a hand and Chanyeol stilled. The leash was roughly separated from the collar, and then the Lord was shoving Jongdae towards him, taking a few steps back himself. Confused, Chanyeol watched the other step towards him, stopping only two steps away.  
  
“Take off his collar,” the Lord ordered, malice and anticipation dripping off his voice, and Chanyeol swore the realization froze his entire blood at once. He wanted to feed him to Jongdae. The demon finally looked up, and there was something cool about his look, something superior, despite him being the one in chains. The natural smile his lips were curled into looked as smug and satisfied as it had a few days earlier. He had betrayed him on purpose. Following the cold, Chanyeol felt himself starting to tremble. Jongdae was starved, he could see it in the inconsistent glow in his eyes and in the way his own claws were digging into his hand hard enough to draw tiny droplets of blood.  
  
“Do it,” the Lord demanded, ripping Chanyeol out of his fear-induced state of denial. Chanyeol had only managed one step before the Lord thought of something else.  
  
“Maybe you should give it a good whiff of you, let it get a taste of your nice scent,” he proposed, and when Chanyeol unsurely stood in front of Jongdae, the Lord already lost his patience.  
  
“Give it a nice hug, rub your face all over it, I’m sure it’s not picky. If you don’t want to do it, I’m sure we’ll find volunteers to go in your stead.”  
Chanyeol shakily embraced Jongdae, and it was hard to say which body was more rigid. Jongdae’s skin was burning hot, and he heard him silently gasp into the crook of his neck, further feeding Chanyeol’s dread. He wished he had the peppermint oil on him, but then again Jongdae wanted this, so why would he be stopped by some scent being less delicious? Chanyeol stepped back again, waiting for Jongdae’s hazy gaze to focus on him again. He tilted his head a little, showing off his collar.  
  
“Take it off,” he heard the Lord command in the background, but everything aside from Jongdae was a blur to Chanyeol. Grimacing, Chanyeol lifted his trembling fingers to the collar. He could already see the control slipping from Jongdae. He’d die for his foolishness, paying the price for falling for a demon’s trap. A part of him was clinging onto the stupid hope that it would be fine, that Jongdae would resist the urge and just run away and vanish, but the hunger was all but porosing his usually so clear orbs. The dark pink leather was cool on the surface, but when Chanyeol started prying at it, carefully unbuckling the wide clasp, he could feel the warmth seeping through. Both him and Jongdae were holding their breath, and when the strap was tugged free, something rained out from under it and the effect was immediate. The air was changing into something thick and sweet, Chanyeol saw black fur covering Jongdae like a quick shadow that made way for sunlight again, and when he wanted to stumble back in shock, claws were digging into his upper arm, keeping him there with a vice-like grip. It hurt so much that Chanyeol thought he’d squeeze down to the bone any second, and then he saw the hunger burning in Jongdae’s eyes. When the demon lounged at him, Chanyeol’s free hand twitched towards the dagger, way too slow to actually reach it in time. Glowing, orange eyes followed the movement, and then Jongdae shoved his hand beneath the robes, grabbed the dagger and in one smooth move, he turned around and threw it, piercing the Lord right through the head. With a shocked grunt, the Lord fell over, slow as a tree, hitting the ground with a sound deafening to Chanyeol’s ears.  
  
The screams and noise around them had died at some point, and the whole village was staring at the twitching body of the Lord in a mix of horror and disbelief. Chanyeol stared at Jongdae though, at the back of his head and his heaving body. His furry ears and claws were gone, but the grip around his arm was still numbing. Chanyeol winced when the demon let go, staggering towards the body of the Lord, the villagers receding even further away from him like a swarm of flies. Jongdae crouched down, and the sound of him tearing flesh off bones was sickening, causing a quiet commotion among the villagers. Jongdae tore at the flesh of the Lord’s thick fingers until his teeth met bone, gnawing at them and then quickly moving on to the next one, fueled by a certain viciousness. Chanyeol avoided his gaze, which fell upon something else instead. A bloody mess was smeared around Jongdae’s mouth when he let go of the limp hand to get back up to his feet. Around them, the villagers were still shell-shocked, their fear now channeled on the demon. Jongdae didn’t even look at them as he walked over to Chanyeol, who was thumbing at a dried flower petal he had found on the ground. One of many which had been stuffed under the demon’s collar. Now he knew where the flower crown had went.  
  
“How would you like kissing me now, with my lips soaked in human blood?” Jongdae asked, sounding both challenging and a little breathless. Chanyeol wrinkled his nose.  
  
“I’d probably catch a terminal illness, so forget about it,” he replied, mindlessly falling into familiar banter. Jongdae grimaced at this.  
  
“So disappointing,” he said, and it felt like there was an underlying meaning Chanyeol didn’t understand. So instead, he held up the flower petal.  
  
“A lucky charm?” he asked, and to his surprise, Jongdae took the petal from him after wiping his bloody hand on his gown. He held it close to his neck, his voice even and devoid of mockery for once.  
  
“A reminder.”  
Chanyeol nodded, and then looked around the sea of shocked faces. It was the same expression they had given the Lord at first, and Chanyeol knew that no matter how much he’d try, Jongdae could never live among them.  
  
“I’ll be outside the village,” Jongdae said, as if he had read his thoughts, “before I crunch on your cousin’s head or something.”  
The light tone contrasted with his unreadable expression, and Chanyeol watched him walk away, watched way too long until he finally called out.  
  
“Wait!”  
  
Jongdae halted and looked at him, head slightly tilted and expression curious. Chanyeol felt the eyes of everyone he had ever known burn into him and he wasn’t sure what he was asking for. Wait for what?  
Jongdae waited a few seconds, then turned away again.  
  
“I’ll stick around until sundown,” he announced, and they all watched him leave. Only when there was no sign of him anymore, did the crowd dare to move, some moving towards Chanyeol to bombard him with questions, others withdrawing and seeking shelter. Chanyeol, who had been standing still all this time, finally made a decision and asked people to bring him their finest meat while he was packing up.  
If Jongdae was willing to decline human meat at some point, in order to kiss him, this was the least Chanyeol could do.  
  
He took his time, only leaving the village when the last bit of the sun disappeared behind the mountains. Jongdae was still there, sitting in a tree, waiting for him. He was so content with the meat Chanyeol had brought, that he helped carrying a bit of Chanyeol's baggage as they began a new journey together.  
  
  
Jongdae had this theory, one that he only liked musing about when the stars were the only source of light. That if it hadn’t been for the collar, he would have eaten Chanyeol a long time ago. That he had been able to get used to him because he was forced to, like a big, bad wolf being unable to hunt down a kitten until it was grown up.  
  
He was also convinced that kissing was a very unromantic concept, considering both partners used an equally sensitive part of their body. It didn’t stop him from indulging Chanyeol the way the human did it for him though.  
  
Jongdae had also sworn to never wear anything around his neck ever again, and yet he was wearing a necklace with a glass pendant, enclosing a few dried, lavender petals, mirroring the second pendant around Chanyeol’s neck.  



End file.
